The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has warned the Coordinator of the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD), Mr Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, against negotiating with contractors.
Wike, who gave the warning while inaugurating the coordinator in Abuja on Tuesday, advised him to view the appointment as an opportunity to contribute to national development.
He advised Zulkiflu to effectively coordinate activities in the satellite towns, as opposed to sitting in the office and negotiating with contractors.
The minister also assured that the FCT Administration was working to ensure all satellite towns felt the impact of the government.
“It is your business to coordinate, liaise, and brief me as the minister of the FCT. You are not sent there to sit in your office and begin to negotiate with contractors. If I find out, I will not hesitate to take the necessary action,” he said.
“Mine is, do your work. If you do your work, everybody will see that you are doing your work. I don’t like praise singers. Your actions will speak for you.
“Now that FCTA is seriously involved in the development of satellite towns, make sure that things are done very well,” the minister said.
The minister also alleged fraud in the payments for the cleaning of the area councils in the FCT, emphasising that it would no longer work that way if the job was not done.
He also charged the coordinator to ensure that things were properly done at the Area councils before any papers were sent for payments.
“Also, in cleaning the satellite towns, let me just say clearly that that is an area of fraud, that we are seeing a lot of fraud. We do not even know whether they are cleaning the place, and at the end of the day, they put in paper to pay.
“The other day I was coming back from Kwali, and I called the Permanent Secretary, Area Councils, and I said, ‘Look at the roads, look at the whole refuse, if I didn’t pass here now, at the end of the month, they would have put paper, money, and pay’.
“So, what we have done now is to make sure that all the Area Council Chairmen are involved in vetting before payment is carried out. Now you are coming, you are the coordinator; you make sure that these things are done very well before you send me any paper”, he said
Wike further emphasised the importance of the office of the STDD Coordinator, noting that several people had lobbied for the position and charging him to see his appointment as being found worthy to contribute to national development.
“See it as if Mr. President finds you worthy to contribute at this point in time to national development, particularly as regards the Federal Capital Territory Administration. So many people are looking for this opportunity; so many people lobbied.
“So, the position you occupy is very, very important. Luckily, you know how to speak Hausa, so you can relate to them very well there. You can relate to them and speak the language they will understand. So once more, congrats.”
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